Meet Nancy Whiteman: a Cannabis Exec Making Serious Coin With Gummies

As founder and CEO of Wana Brands, Nancy Whiteman certainly doesn’t fit the stereotype of a cannabis entrepreneur. She’s 60 years old, Ivy League-educated and was the owner of a marketing consulting firm before detouring into the space eight years ago. Last year, her company, which makes cannabis gummies, was ranked number one in the edibles category in Colorado. Further, she estimates her business will pull in between $16 million and $17 million in sales at the end of the year.

So, what is the secret of her success, particularly in an industry not exactly kind to startups?

“One of the advantages of being my age is that I’ve been in business for a long time,” explains the Chicago-born Whiteman. “I’ve seen other industries. We didn’t need to invent the wheel for this industry. I’ve spent time getting our production processing to the point where we have a very good supply chain. It’s doing a lot of small things right.”